


Born from a Wish

by ErisAcolyte



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Demon Chara, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Multi, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-09-19 21:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9461279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisAcolyte/pseuds/ErisAcolyte
Summary: So, you know how Chara calls themselves a "demon" at the end of the Genocide run?  Well, I liked the interpretation I'd heard online that Chara's just a kid and, like Asriel (Mr. God of Hyper-Death) the whole "Demon" thing was just a kid being melodramatic.But, for the sake of this fanfic, we're taking Chara at their word...(Undertale belongs to Toby Fox).





	1. Chapter 1

A warm, sunny day, with clouds drifting, fat and lazy, across the brilliant, blue sky. Now and then the bright sunlight filters down through the tiny hole in the ground. The light streams down through the hole atop the mountain, creating a tiny shaft of light that filters down to a patch of golden blossoms.

A child looks up at the distant light, holding a paw up flat to see if any of the sun's warmth will reach him down here. He strains up on the tips of his toes, craning his neck to look up, to try and see what lies above the vast cavern he stands in, but soon enough gives up, flopping onto the flower patch, puffing a sigh of frustration.

He looks around him, tugging on the overlong sleeves of his striped sweater, kicking idly at a patch of flowers with his bare feet. “I wish...”

 

_Tension. A bolt across my consciousness. A voice._

 

“I wish...” The boy sighs, scrubbing at his cheeks fitfully, gathering the courage to speak the words that had been in his heart for some time. Even alone, he felt ashamed to admit his deepest desire.

 

_The voice calls, but I cannot answer. I wait, despite myself. It has been so **long**._

 

“I wish...I had a friend.” He manages, voice barely more than a whisper as he fists his paws into his sweater, over his heart, the strength of his longing making him gasp, tears springing, unbidden, to his eyes.

 

_A **friend**? So be it._

 

The shaft of sunlight flickered, then and vanished, plunging the cavern into darkness. The boy looked up sharply, ears pricking at the sudden sound that resonated from all around him and, seemingly, within his very _soul_.

Laughter.

 

_I am the Demon that comes when its Name is called._

 

The boy jumped, scrambling to his feet, eyes wide with shock.

 

_Call my name, and I shall come._

 

A single word surfaced in his mind and he _knew_ , in that moment, that a choice had been handed to him, a power so terrible that it could shake the foundations of the world. But the heart beat out the head and he spoke, voice small but clear.

“Chara.”

And the cavern shook as rubble rained down around him in an explosion. He dove behind a ruined pillar for safety and, when the dust cleared, the patch of sunlight was much larger, illuminating the golden flowers, now covered in dust and rubble. He stepped out from behind the pillar, cautiously, and jumped, anew, when he heard a groan.

Peering over at the clearing, he saw the source of the sound and his eyes went wide. A human? Was...was that what humans looked like? It certainly didn't look like any monster he had ever seen before.

Hair the colour of old, dried blood, skin like pallid parchment-- the body was thin and androgynous, with blood red and pitch black ribbons wrapped around it, making its sex indeterminate. It shook itself off and stretched, as the golden blossoms beneath its feet withered and died in a rapidly spreading circle of death.

The creature turned, suddenly, making the boy jump for a third time, heart beating quick with fear. The creature's face was...

...well, it definitely wasn't human.

Ichor poured, black and sticky, from the holes that should have been its eyes, staining its pale cheeks with high, bright patches of colour upon them, like a fever. It suddenly smiled, far too widely, its incisors and canines as sharp as any monster's.

It held a hand out to the boy, who nearly scrambled back behind the pillar. The creature chuckled, a strange sound that seemed to echo through the cavern and come straight to his ears all at once. Imperiously, flippantly, the creature beckoned.

The boy crept forward, legs shaking, head bowed.

The creature strolled forward to close the gap between them, a redolent wave of heat and withering death following in their wake. It grasped at the boy's chin and forced it upward. Big, tear-laden eyes looked up to meet empty, dripping sockets.

 

_What's wrong, boy? You called, I came._

 

The voice rang out in his head, like a sinuous whisper. It made him think of snakes and fire and he trembled. “C-chara?”

 

_Indeed._

 

“I...I wanted a _friend_!” He stammered, eyes wide.

 

_And here I am._

 

The boy goggled, blinking rapidly. “Y-you? But you look so...” He trailed off, awkwardly.

 

_Scary?_

 

He nodded, as well as the vice-like grip on his chin allowed.

 

_Ah. Yes, you are a child, aren't you? Let me choose a form more...fitting._

 

The creature in front of him, not particularly tall to begin with, suddenly shrunk until they stood, eye to eye. The ribbons digging into its pallid flesh flowed and shifted into an outfit that mirrored the boy's own-- baggy, green and yellow striped sweater, brown shorts. The ichor burnt away from the eyeless sockets and those sockets suddenly filled out, revealing closed eyes. The blood-coloured hair toned itself down to a less unsettling russet and, at the last, the creature opened its bright, blood red eyes and spoke.

“Better?” A high, lilting (and deeply sarcastic voice) rang out in the still of the cavern and the iron grip on the boy's chin softened to the grip of a child's fingers. The boy staggered backwards, falling backwards in surprise.

“How did you _do_ that?”

“Eh.” The creature waved a hand, dismissively. “Its not important.” It flopped down to sit across from the boy, pulling a wilted flower out of the ground by its withered roots and holding it out, like a present. “What _is_ important is you finishing our pact.”

“Pact?”

“You called me, I came. Now you need to bind me here, else I'll have to leave.”

The boy's eyes narrowed at that, shrewdly and the creature in front of him laughed, cheerfully. “Before you say it, boy, need I remind you that you wished for me? Seems a shame to waste your only wish.”

" _Only_ wish?” He repeated, blinking.

“Mm-hm, everyone gets one.” The creature hummed, leaning forward with a wide, but more human-looking smile. “This was yours.”

“And...it worked?” He asked, looking over the creature in front of him, hesitantly.

“Well, I'm _here_ , aren't I?”

“Who _are_ you?”

The creature _giggled_. “I'm your best friend!”

The creature's laughter was no longer a sinister, booming thing, but the high, energetic laugh of a child and the boy's hopes lifted, despite himself. He chanced another look over the creature while it laughed and some of the tension in his body melted away. Whatever it had been before, it looked like a human child, now. Well, save for the eyes...but...wasn't that what he had wanted? A friend?

He put a hand out, cautiously, to where the creature was still holding out its gift of a wilted flower. The creature grinned.

“How do I bind you?” The boy asked, with slightly more confidence.

“Just take my favour, say the wish was granted and tell me your name.” It grinned, cheerfully. “That last one's important-- after all, what sort of friends don't know each other's names? You know mine, now, so I think its only fair you tell me yours.”

“Your favour?” The boy looked down at the wilted flower and the creature nodded, firmly. Feeling a little silly, he took the flower and, as their hands touched, the flower vanished in a whirl of golden dust, settling over each of their chests and solidifying into two gold lockets, each shaped like a heart. He put a hand up to touch his, eyes wide with wonder until a clucking sound from the creature got his attention.

“Oh! Sorry!” He looked over at the creature, flushing. “The wish was granted and, uh, I'm Asriel Dreemur.”

The creature leaned forward and shook the boys hand, briskly. “Hullo, Asriel. I'm Chara. Your new best friend.”

 


	2. Making a Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of my very simple idea: what if Chara had been being literal when they called themselves a Demon? As usual, Undertale belongs to Toby Fox.

They walked side by side through the Ruins, Asriel slowly relaxing as he showed the Underground to the strange child by his side. He jumped, all the same, when Chara took his hand, but didn't pull away. After all, Chara was his _wish_. He'd wanted a friend and, strange as they were, they were _here_.  
  
He found himself smiling, mood lifting as he pointed out a nearby Froggit and Chara giggled. “I'd forgotten how _fascinating_ monsters are.”

“You'd...forgotten?”

Chara giggled, again. “Are you just going to echo me all the time?”

“No!” Asriel flushed, puffing out his cheeks in indignation. “I'm not an echo flower! I just...you've seen monster before?”

Chara nodded, leaning forward to poke at one of his puffed cheeks. He flushed, anew and rubbed at his cheek. “Oh, yes...remember, monsters lived on the Surface, once.”

“I...I know, but Mom and Dad said that was a long time ago.”

“It was, yes.”

“But you...you don't _look_ very old.”

“I'm a demon, Asriel. I look like what I am.” Chara blinked, then added, with a faint smile. “Except when I don't, I suppose.”

“You look like a kid, now.”

Chara tilted their head and then tugged on one of Asriel's ears, playfully. “No, _you_ look like a _kid_.”

He snorted. “Hey! Stop _kidding_ around!”

Chara burst into giggles, again and Asriel found himself laughing in kind. “Mom's gonna' love you-- she tells bad jokes like that all the time.”

He suddenly stopped, eyes widening. “Wait! What do I tell Mom and Dad?!” He tugged on his own ears, with a look of faint panic. Chara tutted, flicking their hair back with a nonchalant shrug. “Tell them...hm...tell them I fell down the hole and you rescued me. I'm a poor, lost human child.”

They widened their blood red eyes, making a mock-innocent face. “Oh, man, that's _creepy_.” Asriel shook his head, vehemently and Chara chuckled.

“But, wait-- you want me to lie to my parents?” He added, frowning.

Chara nodded, with a shrug. “Its not like you can tell them the truth, is it?” They hopped ahead of Asriel and struck a melodramatic pose. “Mom, Dad? I made a pact with a demon to be my best friend!” They said, in a cheery impression of Asriel. They gestured at thin air, dramatically.

Asriel winced. “Um...maybe they'd be okay with it?”

Chara snorted, shaking their head. “From the look of you, you're what they call a Boss Monster, aren't you?” Asriel nodded. “And I'm going to guess that means your parents are the King and Queen?”

“Yeah, but how did you--”

Chara waved a hand, dismissively. “Not important.” They sighed. “What _is_ important is that they will remember the world before the Human-Monster War. They...won't have good memories of demons.”

“...why not?”

“Well...lets just say that humans were...hm, happy to capitalise on a resource?” Chara offered vaguely, looking up at the rocky ceilings above.

“Oh.” Asriel replied, lamely. It was clear from the confusion on his face that they hadn't _quite_ understood what Chara had meant by that. “But...you're my friend. That will mean something, won't it?”

“It will mean that they think their son has been either manipulated or enchanted, sure.”

“Am I?”

“Are you what?”

“Being manipulated or enchanted?”

Chara laughed, but then locked eyes with him, suddenly serious. “I'm your friend. Your _best_ friend. That's what we agreed upon, Asriel. Everything I do is for you. If I'm manipulating you, then it is the manipulations necessary to make us better friends. If I enchant you, it is because...”

They broke the serious stare and bounded off to drape themselves dramatically over a rock, fluttering their eyelids, “...I'm just _so_ amazing you can't help yourself!”

Asriel laughed, sheepishly. “You _are_ kinda' cool.”

Chara lit up in a bright smile and bounded back to his side, enveloping him in a slightly too-tight hug. “Of course I am! We're best friend! We're going to be super cool _together_!”

Asriel grinned. “I...I'd like that, yeah!”

“Prince Asriel and his best friend, Chara! Going on adventures!” Chara shouted, punching the air.

“Fighting crime!” Asriel chimed in, doing the same.

Chara laughed. “Oh, alright-- we can do that, too.” They rolled their eyes. “Ugh, you're going to be a _good_ influence on me, aren't you?” They drawled. Asirel laughed. Ahead, he could begin to see Home and his footsteps slowed.

“I...I guess I should go tell Mom and Dad. Um...wait here?”

Chara nodded, dropping back to perch on a nearby rock. “Remember what I said, Asriel...they won't understand. Tell them I fell.”

Asriel nodded, uncertainly, and quickly dashed off. The moment he reached the front door, it opened and Toriel stood in the doorway, dressed for gardening. “Asriel! There you are, I was just going to see if you wanted to go slug-hunting in the garden with me!” She held up a bucket, enticingly.

“Mom! That's _laaaame_.” He wailed.

“Too cool to spend time with your mother, I see?” She mock-pouted, hand on her hip. “I guess you're not a little... _kid_ any more.”

He groaned, feelingly at that, but suddenly straightened, the pun reminding him of the creature he'd left in the Ruins.

“Oh! Mom...I...I've gotta' tell you something.”

“What is it, my child?”

  
********************************************************************************

 **A). A human child fell from above, into the Ruins and I brought them here (LIE)  
 B). I wished for a friend and a Demon heard me. We've made a pact. (TRUTH) **  
  
********************************************************************************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, its a "Choose your Own Adventure" story. 
> 
> When I'm not writing fanfic, I run a LARP (as well as various tabletop RPGs) and I'm interested in seeing how people react to a world and a story laid out for them. In this story, how Asriel reacts in regards to Chara will have an impact on how he develops, as a person.
> 
> So I'm letting you decide how Asriel will act at certain points. Comment with your choice and I'll tally them up before I post the next chapter. Any vote that comes with a well considered explanation for why you've chosen what you have will be weighted more heavily.
> 
> I hope this will be a fun idea for people and I can't wait to see what you pick! (σ‾▿‾)-σ


	3. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like "Lie" has it. That being said, kudos to Gypsum Lilac, for a very well reasoned support for the "Truth" option!
> 
> As usual, Undertale belongs to Toby Fox.

 

 

Asriel looked up at his mother's bright smile and her warm, trusting eyes and something in him faltered. What if she _didn't_ understand? Mother and father always wanted what was best for him, but sometimes they shut him out of conversations, telling him he would 'understand when he was older', and 'it was for his own good.'

So many times had they left him out of things, or stopped him from doing things in order, in their words, to 'protect him'...and he didn't think they were _wrong_ , but...

...but he didn't have any friends in the Underground, not real ones, anyway. Being the Prince meant that other monsters treated him differently. Honestly, until he had _begged_ his parents not to, they'd had the Royal Guard escort him every time he left Home. Monsters he met were awkward around him, often outright reverential. That made it difficult to play with monsters his age, when they saw their parents treating him like something special and distant.

He bit his lip and stammered. “I...I was playing in the Ruins and I heard a loud n-noise.” He fidgeted. “A human child fell from the Surface! I helped get them back here...”

His mother put a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in surprise. “Oh my! Where are they, Asriel-- they must be terribly injured.”

He winced, but immediately nodded, dashing off to where he'd left Chara, mind racing and heart heavy with guilt. She'd believed him. Of _course_ she'd believed him...

...he'd never _lied_ before.

A lancet of fear overcame the guilt as he turned the corner to the clearing he'd left Chara in. Of _course_ a human that had fallen to the Underground would be injured-- but Chara wasn't injured. Would mother realise he'd lied? What would he do?

He slowed as he came into the clearing, heart pounding, his mother's footsteps growing louder and--

\--and Chara lay propped against the rock where he'd left them, a nasty gash high on their forehead, cradling an obviously broken arm.

“H-how--” He was cut off as his mother rushed past him, dropping to Chara's side. “Don't worry, little one-- I'm here to help.” She said in quick, but soothing tones as the bright, white flames of her magic swirled around her hands, healing Chara's injuries as easily as she'd healed the many cuts and scrapes Asriel had gathered over the course of his childhood.

He watched, eyes wide and mouth slack, as Chara portrayed an injured, frightened human with dramatic flair, sniffling but trying to hold back tears with a look of wounded pride, face wide with wonder and trepidation at seeing the Queen of all Monsters...

...it was unreal.

But all the same, the fear began to recede. His mother believed him. Chara had made sure he wouldn't get in trouble. As his mother knelt down to pick Chara up, Chara grinned behind her back, red eyes gleaming with pride and amusement. 'See? Trust me.' They mouthed, silently.

 

**  
*****

 

Once back at Home, mother was offering Chara tea while Asriel sat nearby, still stunned by how _well_ things had gone. “What sort of tea would you like, my child? We have cinnamon, blueberry, golden blossom?”

“Oh, not golden blossom.” Chara shook their head, vehemently. “Makes me sick. Do...you maybe have hot chocolate?” They asked, with a bright, innocent smile that made Asriel goggle.

“I _think_ we might-- I'll go check, my child.” Asriel goggled, still, as his mother bustled away, humming pleasantly to herself. Once she'd left, Chara dropped the innocent smile and grinned, devilishly.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Your _arm_ was _broken_!” Asriel hopped up and scampered to their side, looking them overly, intensely.

Chara shrugged, dismissively. “Nothing magic cannot fix.”

“But...didn't it hurt?”

“Well, yes...but this body is a shell, Asriel. My true form isn't really injured by much, at all.”

“That's...so _cool_.” Asriel admitted, pouting. Chara chuckled. “Well, if ultimate power is your desire, we can work towards that, I'm certain.”

Asriel blinked. “You...don't talk like a kid.”

“Well, I'm _not_ a child, am I?” Chara snorted, pulling a face. “I'm an ageless demon-- very different things, those.”

Asriel made a face. “I know that! But...” He suddenly stilled, looking down at the floor. “I lied to Mom.”

Chara sighed, leaning forward to play with his long, floppy ears. “Of course you did. It was the right thing to do. Your parents would never have understood, you know that. They would have made us separate and then you'd be alone, again. You don't want that, do you?”

Asriel looked up, hesitantly, surprised to see an uncertain, searching look on Chara's face. “No! Of course not.” He grasped their hand, tightly. “I...I just don't like lying. I...I've never lied before.”

Now it was Chara's turn to goggle and Asriel grinned at the comical sight. “ _Never_?”

“Nope.”

“...what a blessed life you must lead.” Chara drawled sardonically, recovering their composure and draping themselves languidly in their armchair. Asriel blinked. “Do you pose _every_ time you're making a point?”  
  
Chara pouted, looking offended. “When one is as stunning as I am, it seems a waste _not_ to show off.” Asriel jumped, then, at the sound of his mother's approaching footprints and looked up to see her entering the room with a laden tea tray. He looked back at Chara, panicked, but Chara was already back in their act of frightened, wide-eyed innocence. He stared for a moment, till his mother leant down to offer them both a mug of cocoa.

“Turns out we _did_ have some-- I'd forgotten all about it.” She went to sit down in her chair by the fire, sipping at her own mug, delicately. “You should try it, Asriel-- its a human delicacy.”

Asriel did so, startled by the strong taste. “Whoa!”

Chara, in the meantime, had the cup up to their nose and were inhaling the steam as if it were some form of mystical elixir. They drank deeply, and closed their eyes in rapture. “...they used to give cocoa beans to the Gods, in order to appease them.” They offered, dreamily.

Asriel and his mother shared twin looks of surprised. “Is...is that so?” She offered, politely. Asriel looked down at his mug,m speculatively, while Chara flushed, giggling in a much more childish, natural sort of way. “Uh-huh!” They chirped, cheerfully.

Toriel laughed, “Well, then I will make certain to keep a stock of it for you-- we have a few human things from before the War, and people are always finding things that fall from the Surface.”

“Oh! Like my crayons!” Asriel lit up. “Can I show Chara my crayons?”

“Of course, my child. I need to go talk to your father and see about making up accommodations for your new friend.” She stood, pausing to ruffle Asriel's fur. “I'm very proud of you for helping this child-- you're very brave.”

Asriel flushed, first with embarrassment, and then with guilt as he watched Toriel leave. Chara noted his expression and quickly pinched his ear. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Are you going to be a crybaby or are you going to show me your crayons?” They taunted, hopping up from the chair and bouncing in place.

“M'not a crybaby.” Asriel muttered, mulishly, wiping at his eyes. Chara giggled, brightly, and he couldn't help but smile in return. He held out a hand and Chara took it, readily.

“Right, lemme' show you my room!”

**  
******

  
They spent all afternoon colouring and making up stories about the things they'd drawn. Asriel was a fan of big, heroic stories where a powerful, noble (Asriel-themed, it must be said) monster saved the day. Chara preferred stories of grand betrayals and intrigues. They _both_ agreed that the Absolute God of Hyperdeath sounded like a pretty cool name for an original character.

Come the evening, Toriel called them to dinner, and Chara slipped effortlessly into their persona of frightened, but winsome human child for the King and Queen, charming them both utterly. The only hitch in dinner came when Chara tried the snail pie, and ended up having to demur with comments about 'acquired tastes'.

Once dinner was over, Asgore took Asriel aside and hugged him. “Your mother told me how you saved Chara-- I'm very proud of you.” Asriel squirmed, embarrassed, trying to push back that lingering niggle of guilt.

“I just wanted to help people, like you and Mom do.” He murmured, quietly. Asgore fairly _beamed_ at him. “I know you do, son.”

He looked down the hallway. “We've sorted out a bed for Chara-- its not likely that they'll be able to return to the Surface anytime soon. Your mother's explaining that to them, now.”

He put a hand on Asriel's shoulder. “But I thought I'd let you help with the decisions-- should we open up a guest room? Or do you want to share a room with your friend?”

 

**********************************************************************************  
* A). Chara can have their own room; I wouldn't want to bother them.                *  
* B). Chara can share my room; we're going to be best friends!                           *  
**********************************************************************************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another choice for you! Although it might seem inconsequential, even the choice of where Chara sleeps could have a great impact on Asriel's development. Majority vote will be the winner, but a well reasoned argument is always a good idea.


	4. Conversations in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With two votes for, and two against, I'm going with QuantumTangler's reasoning and tie-breaking for against! Chara gets their own room.
> 
> As usual, Undertale belongs to Toby Fox.

 

 

The idea of having Chara with him at all times was appealing and oddly discomforting in equal measures. On the one hand, anytime he opened his eyes at night, he'd get to see his new best friend, reassuring himself that the strange things that happened to day had not, in fact, been some _very_ strange dream.

On the other hand, though...

He thought of Chara's true form, worriedly: thought of the way they held themselves like some lambent Godwhenever his parents weren't looking. And, of course, how easily they had helped him lie to his parents.

He looked up at his father, who was beginning to look a little worried. “Are you okay, son?”

“Y-yeah! I...I just had to think about it, first.” He puffed his chest out. “Its a big responsibility and I wanna' make sure I get it right.”

Asgore chuckled, a low, deep sound. “I understand, your highness-- and what have you decided upon?” He asked, bowing dramatically.

“ _Dad!_ ” Asriel pulled his ears over his eyes, embarrassed, but then straightened up with a smile. “Chara should get their own room-- I want them to have their own space, if they need it.”

“Wisely reasoned.” Asgore intoned, with mock-solemnity before scooping Asriel up and onto his shoulders. “And I think you should help me set that room up, don't you?”

“Yeah!” Asriel cheered, laughing, all worries forgotten as his father carried him off to find furniture for Chara's room.

 

***

 

Later that night, Chara stood in front of their new room, tugging on the too-long sleeves of a set of Asriel's pyjamas. “Well? Um...what do you think?” Asriel asked, shyly.

Chara looked around the room, noting the small bed, the cheerfully coloured decorations and the overall _childish_ nature of the bedroom they'd be sleeping in for Hell knew how long and repressed a sigh. They stepped into the room, ignoring Asriel's growing discomfort as they tried to find a _friendly_ way to try and convey the sort of accommodations they'd had before-- grand, dark temples, palatial bedrooms, the occasional well-appointed lake of blood and fire...

Just as they were about to lose the battle of wills within them and say something sarcastic, though, they saw the picture set up on their dresser in a handmade frame. It was Chara and Asriel, as the Ultimate God of Hyperdeath and the Super Scary Demon (Asriel chose the name).

The sarcastic laugh turned soft, as they picked the frame up, gently and held it to them for a moment, eyes closed. “Its lovely, Asri.” They managed, voice low.

They heard Asriel sigh in relief before tackling them for a hug. “Great! I _knew_ you'd like it-- good night!”

And then the monster prince was out the door and into his own room. Chara sighed, and put the picture down, padding quietly over to look across the hallway at where Asriel was getting into bed, already yawning and stretching.

“Such a _child_.” They murmured, rolling their eyes. They then laughed, softly, at themselves before closing the door to their new... _bedroom_. They flopped onto the bed, groaning miserably. Of _course_ Asriel would have no inkling of how much easier it would have been for Chara to bring their connection closer together while he slept. And, of course, its not like Chara could have told him-- not, at least, without running the risk of frightening the already skittish boy.

Yes, best not to push the issue, even if it was damnably frustrating. They'd already made the boy tell his _first_ lie, trying for anything more might wreck this delicate friendship they'd agreed to.

And why _had_ they agreed? Certainly it was not the most glamorous role they'd ever taken, even if it _was_ for the Prince of all Monsters. They'd helped topple empires, kill mighty heroes, empower deadly sorcerers...

...and now this was what they'd reduced themselves to. Chara rolled over, fitfully, burying their face in the pillow until their human body started demanding oxygen. They rolled out of the bed, shaking their head, ruefully.

In all fairness, they'd been curious.

Well, curious and _bored_.

Ever since the humans had sealed the Monsters underground, their connection to magic had grown weaker, until the only humans who would even know _how_ to summon them lived in tiny, reclusive conclaves that grew weaker with every passing year.

Asriel's offer had been the only decent one in a _decade._

They stopped their musing, suddenly, as they heard the soft murmur of voices down the hallway, their inhuman ears straining to catch the sound. They heard their own name and grinned, widely, before stepping silently from their room and moving down the hallway like a shadow.

 _Quite_ like a shadow, in fact, as they had no desire to be seen-- their human shell melted away and they oozed along the ground, liquid black and completely flat, until they came to the doorway of the cosy living room where Asgore and Toriel were sat by the fire, talking in low, concerned voices.

 

***

 

“There's no way anyone could fall through from Mt. Ebott-- the Barrier is too strong there.” Asgore was musing, stroking his beard, thoughtfully. “Do you think...do you think the Barrier could be weakening?” He added, eyes lighting up with hope.

“Perhaps...or perhaps the magic simply did not adequately consider anyone trying to come _in_.” Toriel replied in a gentle voice.

Asgore wilted, slightly, but nodded. “And such a strange name for a child, wouldn't you say? I don't remember humans having names like that...at least, not where I lived.”

“Humans _do_ have a wide variety of cultures-- much as we...used to.” Toriel looked down into her tea cup, eyes lidded. Asgore winced. “Hey, Tori. Don't worry-- we'll make new traditions, here.”

Toriel chuckled, faintly, sipping her tea. “I know we will, King Fluffybuns.” She smiled, warmly at him as he blushed, making the family resemblance between him and his son much clearer to Chara.

Toriel then sobered, somewhat and tilted her head. “Personally, I noticed the child's eyes, first. I haven't seen red eyes like that since...well, since the Empire.”

Asgore frowned. “You think the child is demon spawn?”

“Its not impossible-- I remember particularly depraved cults of magicians had women breeding with

demons for just such a purpose.” Toriel pursed her lips, disdainfully. “ _Apparently_ , the offspring would either have very powerful magic...or make an excellent sacrifice.”

Asgore winced. “Ah, Tori, how often I forget how involved you were in the war...” He murmured, uncomfortably.

Toriel just laughed, eyes sparkling. “Oh, you warrior types! If you're not hitting something with a big, shiny weapon, you might as well stay home, am I right?”

Asgore chuckled, sheepishly. “No, no-- people like you and Dr. Gaster saved our butts out there, Tori. I haven't forgotten that.”

Tori grinned. “I couldn't let a cute butt like that go to waste.” She put her tea aside and stood, coming over to nuzzle his nose. Chara cringed, slightly, from their hiding place as a wash of warmth and affection emanated out of the duo. Love without the taint of paranoia or bitterness-- well, it was just _icky_.

Their conversation mostly turned to sweet nothings at that point, so Chara sped away, their shadowy form darkening the corridor further. Their un-sheltered form must have had more of an effect than they'd expected, as they heard a whimper from Asriel's room.

They paused at his doorway, listening to the sound of tossing and turning. My, Asriel must be _very_ sensitive to magic. That sort of thing _might_ make him better at wielding it in the long run but, for now, it merely opened him up to all manner of...attack.

Chara reformed into their human shell, a wide, unnerving grin spreading across their face. “Very vulnerable, indeed.”

Moving quietly, they pushed the door open and padded over to Asriel's bedside-- not quietly enough, though, as Asriel woke suddenly, eyes wide. “Chara? Wh-what are you doing here?” He stammered, looking sleepy and frightened.

Chara breathed in, sensing the lingering fear about him. “I heard you tossing and turning-- you were having a nightmare.” Asriel flushed looking down in embarrassment. He looked about ready to say something that would inevitably be huffy and defensive, so Chara struck, reaching out to clasp Asriel's hand, gently.

Asriel looked up suddenly, shocked as Chara looked them deep in the eyes, stroking the fur on their paw. “Asriel-- there's nothing wrong with being scared. Everyone has things they fear.” They offered, voice soft and soothing.

Asriel blinked, wonderingly, “Even you?”

Chara snorted, their pride getting the better of them. “Please. I _am_ the thing people fear.”

Asriel winced, pulling away, slightly and Chara stammered, quickly, “Ah! Don't listen to me, Asri...I...” They ducked their head, shoulders shaking. Internally, they weighed up their options. A moment of honesty, here, _would_ hurt their pride, but it just might be the sort of thing a bleeding heart like their newfound friend would appreciate.

“...I _am_ scared of a few things.” They managed, as Asriel gasped. “I'm scared most, though...of being alone.” They looked up, red eyes large and sincere, as Asriel's lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears.

“You won't _ever_ be alone again, Chara!” He threw his arms around them, hugging them to him, tightly. “I promised.” He whispered, fiercely as Chara lowered their head onto his shoulder, eyes closing in relief.

They sat like that for some time, until Asriel eventually let go, looking a little embarrassed at his emotional display. “Will...will you be okay tonight? Do...do you wanna', maybe, stay here?”

Chara blinked. “Why?”

“So...you-- I mean, _I_ don't have any nightmares.” Asriel grinned. “I am a big scaredy goat, after all.” He flopped back onto the bed, pulling the covers down.

Chara smirked. “Yes, I _did_ hear you bleating all the way from my room, didn't I?”

Asriel nodded, looking amused. “And that's why you gotta' stay here and, uh, protect me.” He looked quite pleased with himself, and Chara made a show of buying it, getting under the covers and looping an arm around Asriel and pulling him close, giggling at his startled squeak.

“Good night, Asri.”

“Night Chara.”

 

***

 

Asriel's dreams that night were...strange. He didn't truly remember them upon waking, but he supposed they must have been about Chara-- he remembered red and black, the feeling of ribbons winding around him, dragging him down to...where?

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, feeling fuzzy and dry mouthed. He suddenly jumped as Chara canon-balled onto the bed, sending the covers flying. “Good morning!” They chirped, looking entirely too cheery.

“Uh...yeah.” Asriel replied, stifling a yawn. “Somehow, I didn't think _you'd_ be a morning person, Chara.”

Chara grinned, widely. “Not usually, no.” They admitted, stretching languorously, “But I slept _exceedingly_ well.”

Asriel stuck his tongue out. “Good to know _one_ of us did.” He pouted. “You must have been hogging the covers or something because I had _weird_ dreams about you...”

“About me?” Chara preened, fluttering their eyelashes coyly.

Asriel shook his head, looking distant. “...I forget.”

“Well, it wasn't important then, was it.” Chara giggled and grabbed Asriel's hand, dragging him out of bed. “Forget about dream-me. Real me is right here, right now and I helped your mother make breakfast.”

“You can cook?”

“I can do anything I set my mind to. Come on-- I've made something special.” Chara grinned. “Race you!” They dashed off and Asriel, laughing, hurtled after them.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No choice tonight, but I hope a theme is beginning to emerge as to how the dynamic of Asriel and Chara's relationship could go. Thoughts? Theories? ^_^


	5. Exploration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something of a short chapter, and no choice this time, but I thought it a good idea to keep updating whenever possible!
> 
> As usual, Undertale belongs to Toby Fox; I'm just playing with it.

 

Breakfast turned out to be pancakes and Asriel was surprised, once more, at all the different sides his new best friend could show off at a moment's notice. The next few days were an exercise in wonder, too, as he watched Chara play the wide-eyed child to his parents with flair and ease, dropping the act at a moment's notice to flash him that bright, knowing grin.

 

They played together, lived together, ate their meals together-- after the third day, Asriel's parents even felt confident enough in Chara's settling in to let the two of them out of the castle to explore the Underground, together.

 

And all the while, Asriel's heart felt both restricted and paradoxically lighter than it ever had, before. Chara was bright and mercurial and _his_ , all his! But they were a demon, and now and then, he'd be forced to remember that-- and to remember the lies he was now telling his parents.

 

Each time he covered for Chara it was a little easier to do, and made him feel that _little_ bit less wretched...but even that worried him, in a way he could not quite explain, even to himself. Was it... _okay_ not to feel bad about lying? His parents had always trusted him and, although he _did_ agree with Chara's reasons not to tell them the truth...he'd still betrayed that trust.

 

Caught up in such thoughts, he completely failed to notice Chara sneaking up on him as the moved through the Hotlands, and hit the ground, _hard_ as Chara tackled them. He let out something of an undignified noise, and flailed as Chara laughed, sat atop his back.

 

“If you won't pay attention to me, Asri, you _will_ pay the price!” They cheered, gallingly go so far as to lean back and cross their legs as they sat atop him, pinning him to the hot, dusty ground.

 

“How are you so _heavy_?!” Asriel shouted, flailing and getting more and more flustered at Chara's triumphant crowing.

 

“It must be the weight of your sins.” Chara leaned down to his in his ear. He stilled, abruptly, eyes wide. “W-what?”

 

Chara laughed, then, dropping their stern expression and hopping nimbly off of Asriel, proffering an imperious hand. “It is _far_ to easy to mess with you, Asri.”

 

Asriel pouted, but took Chara's hand, still surprised at the diminutive demon's hidden well of strength, as he found himself not just supported, but nearly lifted right off his feet. He dusted himself off as Chara studied their nails, arrogantly.

 

“I _am_ just a kid, you know.” He grumbled, as Chara rolled their eyes.

 

“Let age hold you back, Asri, and those horns will _never_ grow in.” Chara poked the tiny numbs atop his head, grinning maliciously. Asriel batted them away, flushing and covered his head with his hands, protectively. “I'm due a growth spurt any day now!”

 

“ _Suuuuurrre_ you are.” But the smile they gave Asriel was surprisingly warm and friendly, and he felt most of his irritation melt away.

 

“Do...do you like Hotlands?” He asked, lowering his hands somewhat shyly.

 

“Love the place, hate the naming convention.” Chara quipped back, leaning over a high precipice to look down into the glowing, molten lava with a pleased sort of preen.

 

“Yeah...Dad's a great king, but not so... _hot_ when it comes to naming things.”

 

Chara winced at the pun, but barked a laugh. “Come on, Asri-- you said you were going to show me _everything...”_

 

Nodding, Asriel continued the tour and, over the next couple of days, they'd basically seen the whole of the underground.

 

***

 

Chara seemed to love the heat and brightness of the Hotlands best, though they _did_ have quite a lot of fun messing with the Echo flowers in Waterfall. Amusingly, they outright _hated_ Snowdin and spent the entire time holed up in Grillby's, hissing fitfully for more warm clothes and a closer spot to Grillby, who seem bemused to be being used as a heat source.

 

“You're like a lizard or something.” Asriel grinned, happy to finally find a weakness in his imperious friend. Chara's red eyes glared at him from the depths of all the scarves and blankets they'd managed to weave into a makeshift cocoon. “I could level this whole town in less than a minute.” They whined.

 

Asriel laughed, despite himself, having gotten strangely used to Chara's occasional turn for the sinister over their week together. “I'm having a hard time taking you seriously when I know for a fact that if I tipped you over right now, you'd be too wrapped up to ever get up, again.”

 

He put his hands on his hips, doing his best to emulate Chara's cocky stance. The demon merely pouted, giving him a wide-eyed, wounded look. “Kick a child when they're down, why don't you?” They made their lip tremble. “...I suppose I'm a bad influence.”

 

Asriel's stance wavered and broke at Chara's sniffle. “Argh! I know you're putting that on, but you're so good at it!” He flailed and dashed off to the bar, getting Grillby's attention until the quiet bartender came over with a hot beverage. Chara poked their nose out of the blanket pile to sniff at it, before lighting up, eyes glowing with pleasure. “Hot chocolate!”

 

They untangled themselves with a burst of sudden, genuine glee, making Asriel giggle. “I made sure to bring some with me. Luckily Mr. Grillby knew how to make it.” He beamed, proudly as his friend inhaled the steam from the cocoa with a look of outright rapture.

 

Grillby tilted his head at the scene, bemusedly. The young Prince suddenly hugged the strange human child, tightly and Chara hugged him back, tightly.

 

Grillby stiffened, suddenly, feeling a pulse flare around the two briefly, like a sudden flash of lightning. The pulse passed the moment Chara pushed the little Prince away to drink their cocoa, and Grillby turned away, quickly, to cover his confusion.

 

He walked back to the bar suddenly, thoughts racing. He'd not felt that sort of energy since the War-- humans weren't really known with their prowess with Magic, but there had been a few who'd seen the sort of powers the monsters had thrown around and gone hunting for powers of their own. The Demon Summoners.

 

His flames flickered, briefly, with the sudden, irrepressible shudder of memory. They'd been terrifying foes. They used the power they gained from their Demonic rituals to make leaps and bounds in their knowledge of magic. Why spend years studying, practising control and finesse when a single blood sacrifice to a demon would give them the sort of power most beings could only _dream_ of?

 

Yes, their bodies were taxed by their rites, becoming twisted and strange before eventually burning out...but they'd staved off that corruption by sacrificing their _own people_ , even children. Sometimes, he reflected darkly, as he began mechanically cleaning glasses behind the bar, _especially_ children.

He looked carefully in the direction of the Prince and his strange, new friend. They seemed happy enough, joking and chattering in the way that children do...

 

Obviously, the child could not be a Demon Summoner. The powers needed to control a demon would tear a child's body apart in a manner of _hours_ , at best. He frowned, nearly dropping a glass in his consternation. There _had_ been rumours of Demon Summoners breeding with demons, to try and create inherently magical offspring...and hadn't there been any number of strange, twisted horrors on that last battlefield?

 

He put the glass he'd been cleaning and re-cleaning down, carefully. He'd have to bring these concerns to Queen Toriel. It was entirely likely that King Asgore might have missed the signs that something was... _strange_ about the child. Like all monsters, Grillby trusted his King, implicitly...but he was not so blind as to have seen how...trusting Asgore could be.

 

But Toriel...Toriel had worked with the Royal Scientist back in the days before. Surely, she would know what was going on, here. He looked up in time to see the children leave, nodding to himself. He'd go tonight.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Thoughts, feelings? ^_^


	6. Shadowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, sure, but its got another choice for you guys to make! As usual, comment with your choice and I'll go for whichever gets the most votes. Tie-breakers will be resolved by picking the option with the best rationale given for it, so give me your reasoning! 
> 
> (Also, as usual, Undertale is not mine. It belongs to the illustrious Toby Fox).

 

There were a lot of adults at the Home tonight, thought Asriel as he chased Chara through the hallways. Chara had stolen the best crayon in his box, the black one, and was, in their own words, 'holding it ransom until you promise to write more stories about the Absolute God of Hyperdeath!'

 

“You're being unreasonable!” He cried, skidding around a corner.

 

“And you're being slow.” Chara hissed, sliding easily to suddenly be stood _right_ behind him. He jumped nearly a foot in the air and backed up rapidly--

 

\--crashing _right_ into the Royal Scientist, who went down like, well, a skeleton prone to wearing overlong robes.

 

Asriel squeaked in alarm as they tangled together, getting more than a few bones to the ribs. An unintelligible stream of Wing Dings issued from the fallen scientist and, given the anger in his voice, it was probably for the best that Asriel couldn't understand him.

 

Chara's giggles at his predicament abruptly stopped, and he pushed himself free of the sputtering scientist to find out why. He was greeted by the somewhat unnerving sight of Chara's wide, red eyes staring at him, unblinkingly.

 

“You're hurt.” They murmured, flatly, reaching out to his sleeve-- there was a _very_ small splotch of blood on it, and he looked down at it, bemused. “Huh-- don't worry, I must've just scraped it.” He turned to look back at Dr. Gaster, who was picking himself back up and brushing off his robes with an air of affronted dignity.

 

“Um...sorry, Dr. Gaster.”

 

He waved a hand, dismissively and walked past the duo, silently. Asriel winced; his parents had said that Dr. Gaster was _really_ important, so knocking him over _probably_ wasn't a good idea. He winced, suddenly, as he felt a sharp lance of pain in his injured arm.

 

Chara had pushed his sleeve up to survey the damage...by _poking him in the ARM!_

“OW! Chara, what the heck?!” He whimpered, eyes bugging out in alarm as Chara idly licked their finger clean. “Eeeeeewwwww...” Was his well-considered response.

 

Chara rolled their eyes before closing them, thoughtfully, “I haven't had monster blood in _ages_.”

 

Asriel started. “You drink _monster blood_?” He squeaked, voice small with shock.

 

Chara chuckled, a dark, rich sound that sounded _really_ strange coming from their current, child-like body. “I _am_ a demon, Asriel. You seem to keep forgetting that.”

 

Asriel huffed, annoyance beating out fear. He looked down at the scratch on his arm, sighing. “You know, it hurts more _now_ than it did a moment ago.” He grumbled.

 

Chara blinked, surprised. “Oh. Sorry.” They offered, before calmly putting their hand over the wound. Asriel flinched, but Chara shook their head, curtly. “Hold still-- I'll fix it.”

 

Curious, he did so and, to his surprise, a small, dim red glow emanated from their palm, bathing the wound in a blood red light. When Chara took their hand away, the wound was gone-- more than that, the various bruises and bumps that came of crashing into a monster comprised entirely of bones were gone, too.

 

He stretched, surprise giving way to glee. “You can _heal_? Cool!” He cheered, while Chara preened. “Well, don't tell your parents-- I'd hate to have to explain how a supposed _human_ child knows magic.”

 

Asriel pulled a face. “I know, I know...there's a _lot_ of stuff about you I can't tell Mom and Dad.” He pouted, turning away and rubbing his newly healed arm, uncomfortably.

 

“Are you _still_ upset about that?” Chara wondered, hopping around to his front so he could clearly see their wide-eyed, incredulous look. “You're too innocent for your own good, Asri.”

 

Asriel huffed, again, but paused when he saw the sudden serious look in Chara's eyes. “...that sort of naivete could got you killed on the Surface.” They murmured, softly.

 

Asriel blinked. Chara actually sounded _concerned_ about him. He forgot his anger and pulled the pale child into a tight hug. “Don't worry, Chara-- I'll be okay.”

 

He beamed happily as Chara relaxed into the hug and cuddled into his fur... _right_ until they bit his ear. “OW! Why?!” He wailed.

 

“Is everything okay in there?” Asgore called from the living room. Chara laughed, uproariously as Asriel rubbed his wounded ear. “Yeah! We're...uh...just playing!” He managed, while Chara pulled faces at him.

 

“Oh, okay-- you two keep it down, okay? Your mother and I have some guests to speak to tonight.” Asgore's voice was warm, but it held something of a serious note, and Asriel's hand stilled on his ear, thoughtfully. “O-okay...” He called back, looking a little lost. Was something wrong? This wouldn't be the _first_ time the Royal Scientist had visited, but Asriel was nothing if not empathic-- something about his father's tone made him wonder what this visit was _really_ about.

 

He spotted Chara's eyes tracking quizzically across his face, “Oh. Um...Dad just sounded weird, you know?”

“Weird, how?” Chara asked, looking curious. Asriel had learned by now that Chara might, indeed, be a little jealous of Asriel's easy affection and love for people, and often asked him to demonstrate it, like empathy was some sort of party trick to show off.

 

He tapped his claws against his chin. “Well...both Mom _and_ Dad have had people in to see them today, and at home, not in the throne room. Dr. Gaster is Mom's old buddy, but he still doesn't come to the house too often. Put that together with Dad's voice and...well, I think it might be more than just tea, you know?”

 

Down the hallway, the duo heard the front door open, then, and the distant sounds of Asgore's booming voice, “Grillby! Glad you could come-- Tori's in the kitchen, make yourself at home.”

 

Asriel and Chara shared a look. “...wasn't Grillby the fire monster we saw today in Snowdin?” Chara asked, voice oddly neutral.

 

“Yes?” Asriel gave them a look of confusion. Chara's red eyes had darkened in consternation, now the colour of old, dried blood. “That's...an interesting coincidence.” They muttered, darkly.

 

“...is it?”

 

Chara's head snapped up at the question and they grinned, wide and disconcerting. “We should go spy on them!”

 

Asriel coughed, “But...eavesdropping is rude.” He folded his hands behind him, adopting his mother's pose when discussing etiquette.

 

Chara scoffed. “Oh, I'm _sorry_ \-- so spies are _rude_ , now?”

 

“...Yeah?”

 

Chara punched him on the arm, lightly. “Asri, my friend, you are such a little _Princess_ sometimes.”

 

They began to move down the hallway, their footsteps entirely silent. Asriel squeaked and, in hushed tones, called out, “What are you _doing_?”

 

“My super secret ninja-spy routine, obviously.” Chara dead-panned in equally soft tones. They looked back, eyes bright with excitement. “Are you coming or not?”

 

 

**********************************************************************************  
* A). Are you kidding? We'll get in trouble.                      (Stop Chara)                 *  
* B). Well, okay...I bet I can be stealthier than _you_!          (Join Chara)                 *  
* C). No way, you're on your own.                                    (Stay there)                  *  
**********************************************************************************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, people! 
> 
> THREE CHOICES! Aaaaaah! Choice overload! O_O
> 
> (Also, hey, its Gaster!)


	7. Obfuscation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after a long hiatus (real world issues), the next chapter is GO!
> 
> The voting came out overwhelmingly with option A, "Stop Chara" and many people gave excellent reasoning for their choices. 
> 
> As per the usual, Undertale belongs to the brilliant Toby Fox, and I'm just playing with the characters.

 

 

Asriel _literally_ put his foot down, crossing his arms over his chest. “No! Call me a little princess all you like--” His cheeks flamed, regardless, “--but eavesdropping _is_ rude. Mom and Dad trust me and if they're having a conversation without me, there'd be a good reason for it.”

Chara sighed, feelingly, flicking their rust-coloured hair over their shoulder in a fit of pique. “You pick the _worst_ times to get self-righteous, I hope you know that.”

Asriel winced, but held firm. “Well...its important to me.” He manages to force out in the face of Chara's withering gaze.

Eventually, Chara blinked, shoulders slumping. “ _FINE._ ” They whined, stomping melodramatically back towards Asriel's room. “Lets just go to _bed_ , shall we?!”

They threw their hands up in the air, equally dramatically,as Asriel huffed a small sigh of relief and quickly skittered to follow them. Once back at Asriel's room, Chara stopped abruptly-- this time, at least, Asriel had the presence of mind to skid to a halt before crashing into their friend.

Chara turned, looking oddly serious as they faced him. Palms out, they proffered...

“My black crayon!” Asriel beamed, taking the pilfered crayon back, gratefully. “But...why?”

“Because your willpower, however foolish in its focus, is to be rewarded.” Chara suddenly grinned. “And my gesture of good will makes you more likely to write more God of Hyperdeath stories!”

Asriel giggled and they went to play in his room, all worries forgotten.

 

 

***

 

 

In the living room, Grillby had just finished explaining his concerns to the Dreemurs and the Royal Scientist. They four of them shared grave, quiet expressions.   
  
“...I must admit, I never knew much about these...demon experiments.” Asgore murmured, slowly. He looked to his wife, concerned. She shook her head.

“There's no way of knowing for certain without running tests.” Dr. Gaster nodded in agreement, hands blurring in his rush to respond.

“Blood?!” Asgore winced upon reading Gaster's signs. “We can't do medical testing on a _child_.”

Gaster looked nettled, and signed some more, Asgore's expression darkening with each gesture. Toriel sighed and put her hands up, “No fighting, gentlemen.” Her tone was soft, but her gaze was firm.

Asgore nodded, “Sorry, Tori.”

After a long, awkward moment, Gaster nodded as well.  
  
“All we can do, ethically, is keep an eye on the child and see how they act.” Toriel explained, gently, “Even if they _do_ turn out to be demon-spawned, that doesn't mean they aren't a _child_.”  
  
  


 

***

 

Later that night, Chara crept out of Asriel's room. It had been laughably easy to tire the goat-child out with a straight hour of running around pretending to be super-villains. Chara privately marvelled at how much _fun_ playing childish games could be.

They were more used to...well... _traditional_ demon-pact maker relationships. People _usually_ wished for ultimate power or control over their fellow man, and tended to show their favour with gory sacrifices or lavish displays of wealth and hedonism.

Being asked for _friendship_ and then having that past sustained with _playtime_ and _hugs_ was an experience that never stopped being surreal, even as Asriel's genuine affection remained refreshingly empowering.

They slipped out of the house, silent as a shadow and, indeed, moved across the Underground ever quicker as they abandoned their human shell to race across the ground as a patch of living darkness. It didn't take long, moving in this manner, to reach Snowdin-- the lights of Grillby's bar flickered across the shining, white snow drifts as the shadow slipped inside.

The warmth, light and noise from the bar's patrons sent the shadow moving low to the ground, coiling around the feet of monsters and causing some of the more sensitive ones to start, or shudder, though they did not know why.

The evening's entertainment was drawing to a close, with people shouting cheerful, if somewhat drunken farewells to Grillby as they left. The shadow slunk behind the bar and waited there, patiently, until the last of the patrons had left the bar. As Grillby began wiping down the counter, the shadow stretched until it filled the space where Grillby's own shadow would stand.

Tendrils of darkness tentatively brushed against the monster's back as he worked, unaware of the shadow behind him. The monster was powerful, the shadow surmised, but not used to deflecting attacks to his mind.

_And the mind is my playground..._

Grillby suddenly stiffened, clutching at the bar's counter-top, briefly losing control of his body's flames and singeing the wood. His eyes looked blankly out across the bar, filling slowly with a black ichor that spilled over onto his cheeks before being burnt away by his flames.

Inside his mind, the shadow that was Chara rifled easily through his memories, calling up the conversation they'd not been allowed to eavesdrop on, earlier. They privately chuckled at Asgore's righteous anger on their behalf. _Like father, like son_.

They allowed themselves a pause when considering the reactions of Toriel and Gaster. For all of Toriel's peace-making, it was clear that she not only took the possible threat of Chara's presumed demon-spawn nature seriously, but was also well studied on the subject, in general.

 _Well, at least I know what story to fall back on, should I get caught doing anything a human child ought not._ Smugly, they decided that 'poor, confused demon-spawn child' would not be a hard sell for the Dreemurs, who all seemed to have hearts bigger than their heads-- even if Toriel was much cannier than her son or husband.

The shadow abruptly jerked out of Grillby's body, taking no great care not to harm the flame monster as it raced away from the bar. Grillby staggered, smacking his head against the counter-top. The wood blackened as he took a moment to right himself, tutting as he picked up the broken halves of his glasses. He looked around the bar, unhappily, before going to a box under the bar and pulling out salt, chalk...all the ingredients to ward off demons.#

He sighed as he began using old, ritual magic that he'd not bothered with since monsters were sealed underground. The Underground, it seemed, was no longer a safe place to be...

 

  
  
***

 

Asriel found he slept well that night, unburdened by the strange, half-forgotten nightmares that had marred his sleep since they'd met Chara a week ago. They stretched an yawned, cheerfully at the sounds of cooking from down the hall, and fairly _skipped_ over to Chara's room. Chara was sleeping, face-down on the bed and only groaned, irritably, as Asriel tried to shake them awake.

“Hey! Good morning, sleepyhead!” He tried, stilling as Chara made a half-hearted hissing sound. “Are...are you okay?”

Chara rolled over, eyes dim and face pale save for two bright, high spots of colour on their cheeks. “M'tired.” They muttered, waving Asriel away, unhappily.

“Didn't...didn't you sleep well?” Asriel murmured, worried at the sight of Chara's face. He hadn't thought his friend _could_ get any paler.

Chara only offered a small, piteous whine in response. Privately, they were mournful and annoyed in turns. They should have _known_ that moving so far away from Asriel would drain their energy. The Prince might be powerful, but he was still only a _child_ and Chara hadn't exactly been on top of getting the Prince to make the necessary sacrifices to keep their energy up.

Friends don't ask friends to kill... _apparently_.

They groaned, again, piteously as Asriel hopped up onto the bed and pulled them into a sitting position, resting in his lap. Asriel checked their forehead. “You're really hot...do...do demons _get_ fevers?”

“...so it would seem.” Chara managed in low, unhappy tones.

“I should go tell Mom!” Asriel squeaked, worried. “NO.” Chara managed, with some force. “Do you really want your mother looking into _why_ I might be ill? She might realise that I am more than just a human child, you know?”

Asriel stilled, with a quiet nod. “Oh...right.” He looked down at Chara's pale face, their eyes closed in exhaustion. “...how _can_ I help?” He added, earnestly.

Chara winced, “I...I need energy.”

“Okay—how do I get that?” Asriel asked, more enthused now that there seemed to be a way to fix his friend.

Chara sighed, considering their options. Asriel's magic was strong enough that he probably _could_ spare some energy, himself. There was no way, as he was now, that he'd agree to any sort of sacrifices of anyone else. Still, they found themselves feeling surprisingly guilty.

“Chara? You...you gotta' tell me.” Asriel urged, voice tremulous with worry. “I don't wanna' lose you.” The tremor in his voice made up Chara's mind.

“I...I could take some energy from you.” They murmured. “It...would make you tired, for awhile.”

“But it would fix you?”

“...yes.”

  
  
 ************************************************************************************  
* A). Chara is my friend, and friends help friends. (Give energy)                            *  
*** **B). This sounds dangerous...maybe they'll recover on their own (Let them rest) *  
* C). Mum would know what to do, I'm sure... (Tell Toriel)                                     *  
************************************************************************************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three choices again-- comment with your preference and remember to tell me your reasoning! ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah...I'm starting a new project and I hope people will be up for joining me on this. The title is a Silent Hill reference, because I can't help myself. O_O 
> 
> Also, for context, I tend to run World of Darkness games so my consideration of Demons is heavily influenced by that. I've put down a "Violence" tag because, well, demon. More tags will be added when/if they become relevant.


End file.
